Toyota to import US-made cars after Trump gripe

JAPANESE car giant Toyota said on Friday it will begin importing three of its US-manufactured models into its home market next year, in an apparent move to placate Donald Trump.

The US president has imposed painful import tariffs on countries around the world in an attempt to boost his country’s manufacturers and reduce its colossal trade deficit.

Japanese firms sell millions of cars in the United States every year, but American vehicles are rare in Japan.

“They don’t take our cars, but we take MILLIONS of theirs!” Trump said in April, accusing Japan of treating its ally “very poorly on trade”.

But on Friday, Toyota said its three popular American models - the Camry sedan, Highlander SUV, and Tundra pickup truck - will be sold in Japan starting next year.

The move is meant “to meet the diverse needs of a broad range of customers, while also helping to improve Japan-US trade relations,” the firm said in a statement.

Toyota is the second-top-selling automaker in the United States, where it shifted more than 2.3 million vehicles last year.

Meanwhile, US industry leader General Motors sold just 587 Chevrolets and 449 Cadillacs in Japan, while Ford pulled out of the market nearly a decade ago.

American cars are often too big for local roads, and usually the steering wheel is on the wrong side.

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Of the three models, the Tundra pickup truck in particular “is the very embodiment of American culture”, Toyota said.

The announcement came after the top-selling carmaker said last month it will invest US$10 billion in the United States. AFP